Moving: Würzburg or Bamberg?

I don't think there are many forum members in Ober/Unter Franconia, but I thought I would ask for some opinions on moving to either of these cities.

I already have the aufenthaltstitel with a job in Schweinfurt, a town which is about the same distance from the two cities. I've been to both cities in my past 3 years of living here, and I have some co-workers and good friends that live in both. I am wondering if any other native English speakers have some insights on either of the towns in question.

Also, has anyone dealt with a 50+ km commute here in Franconia? It isn't something that I want to ideally do, but I've recently felt that I have to remove myself from this small town to one of the nearer cities. I still like the area, but SW lacks a little in the area of nightlife.

-Ryan

Easy. If you like beer, move to Bamberg. If you like wine, move to Würzburg.

On the other hand, if you prefer cities, move to Würzburg (population 140,000), if you prefer towns, move to Bamberg (70,000).

If you like nice scenery, you can't go wrong with either choice.

Both towns are only about a 25-30 minute train ride away.

I appreciate your response Small Town Boy, but I was really hoping for more details than just Wine vs. Beer when deciding where to live for the next few years. Besides, I can find Frankenwein in BA, Bamberger beer in WÜ, and I know I can buy both easily here in SW.

I was expecting a few people who have lived in either city to say what they liked or didn’t like about the cities and what they thought of the everyday living, but I am starting to suspect by the lack of responses that there are fewer English speakers here in my area of Franken than I origionally thought. Oh well, I tried.

I visited a co-worker’s WG over the past weekend in WÜ, and I think I’ve made a decision to head downriver Main. I think I am also going to give the WG, or “Wohngemeinschaft”, lifestyle a try. At 31, maybe it going to be difficult for me to give up some privacy, but I think this might be a good decision for me in order to meet a few more people outside of my already established co-worker circle of friends. It will also force me to better my German a bit more outside of the office.

There are a lot of English speakers in Bamberg, but they're all American army types or tourists. Beyond that, English speakers are thin on the ground in that region. The WG idea sounds like a good one.

Seriously though, if you're into beer then move to Bamberg; you have ten breweries right in the town itself, little of which can be found more than a few miles away.

I live just outside of Bamberg in a very small village. If it was MY choice where to live, I would choose Bamberg. I think it is a very nice city. While SMB refers to Bamberg as a "town", I refer to it as a city. Of course, it's not a metropolitan city, but it's definitely a city.

And just because there is an Army base in Bamberg, that does not mean that ALL of the English-speakers are in or related to the Army. I, for example, am not. I am an American married to a German man, and we just happen to live next to a city with an Army base. I have also met a few English and Irish people while out at the bars (specifically the Irish Pub).

Upon my many times going out downtown to the bars, restaurants, shopping, etc., there have never been a lack of English-speaking GERMANS, or Americans. While the "older folk" of the Germans around here prefer that we learn German (which I am), most of them are very friendly towards the non-German speaking crowd.

And even though the commute would be a long way, I was in SW on this past Saturday. Sure, it's a drive, but it's pretty much a "straight shot" on the Autobahn. If you drive like my German-husband, you can make it in about 20-30 minutes.

Why leave SW?

Seriously though, any town that refers to itself as Bierstadt gets my vote.

I was in Bamberg at the weekend and there were lots of drunk Americans out shouting about "fucking Iraq" and "shitting Afghanistan", so I guess you'd have to be fairly tolerant of all that if you moved to Bamberg. I'm not saying that the town was overrun with them or that they caused any problems, but they were certainly there.

Würtzburg has better looking girls. Yet doesn't really matter though. Once your in Franken your screwed.

You obviously were in the ONE area where the Americans like to hang out in Bamberg. (Calimeros - Irish Pub - Green Goose)
You certainly do not have to go to those areas to have a good time. There are many other great hang outs/bars/clubs in Bamberg that do not have stupid Americans.

Oi, I was in search of Germany's best beer – in an Irish pub I most definitely was not. But the whole of Sandstr. seems to be like that, at least on a Saturday night. I always avoid Lange Strasse because it's too trendy for me.

haha. Yes, those are definitely the two most popular streets in Bamberg for us "youngins" to hit the bars.
You definitely were in the middle of the loud kids.

Try going farther into the Altstadt. You'll find more "hole in the wall" bars and not so much Americans.
(Funny coming from an American, right?)

The OP currently lives in Schweinfurt, so I'm sure that he is no stranger to that kind of stuff. Wuerzburg was no different a few years ago before they closed the post down.

Yep, this is the main reason I am looking to move out of SW, and I have also came to the same conclusion... I think I'm screwed. Franconia is just a bit odd. The girls seem to come in two kinds, those that like Auslanders, and those that don't. And in Franconia, if you aren't Franken then you are an Auslander, even fellow Germans.

I have nothing against the Army boys stationed locally, most seem to be stressed out kids that are tossed into a strange country/culture, away from family and GF's, and in a place were the alcohol flows freely and is cheap. But in my time in SW, I just haven't really gone out of my way to hang out with many, or had the opportunity to find any friends from that group. From the first day, I just kinda fell into meeting and becoming friends with my German co-workers. These German friends are a bit intimidated by the loud and percieved agressive behavior of the local boys, so we never end up anywhere that is known American hangout and I don't like hitting up bars flying solo.

That being said, I do have a cousin in the Army that just recently came over to German and is stationed in Mannheim. He has recently made a couple outings to visit me and I have came to realize that I really miss the pure adventure of the American spirit. Sure, we can be a bit crass (very), we dress a bit funny (camo is not a outfit color), and we are damn loud; but the absolute friendlyness and openness to go anywhere, do anything, and meet or talk anyone about anything all in the name of a bit of fun while not giving a shit about what others think is something my German friends seem to lack. I also realized after his visit that I have fell into the same routine that my German friends seem to have; work, regularly scheduled days at the Sports Club/fitness center/jogging, some other hobby, the same old keipen/discos on the weekend, and then vacation a couple times a year taking a two week long trip somewhere outside of Germany. I can't become this for however long I choose to stay here, so I've got to do something different... ie, move to BA or WÜ and meet some different people not work related. (and it would be nice if one or two were female

I can't even get my so-called German friends (most of whom are single) to take a long weekend with me to Prauge, or to spend a Saturday Brauerei hopping in Bamberg, or taking a train ride to Munich just to get away for a weekend. Maybe it isn't a coincidence either, but I have also met more females here in Franconia hanging with my Army cousin than I have ever met with my native friends. The term "wing man" just doesn't seem to translate at all.